Lazy Summer Day

The waters look cool and refreshing.....

The truth is, it's just about too hot to be

outside.  I suppose this time of year is

referred to as the "dog days of summer."

-

While at the library yesterday,

I spoke to a nice older lady,

 about the weather.

"Just think, she said....we're just going

into August."  This is true, I thought

to myself, and this heat is  going to make us

all appreciate, even more, our gloriously

wonderful Florida winter.

Enjoy this Lord's day......Dee Dee

Slow Down.....

A few of my hanging baskets have

fallen by the wayside, unable to

handle the heat extremes. 

Thankfully, the pink Portulaca is thriving.

Perhaps the opening and closing of the

blooms each day, just might play an important

role in survival.

Growing in abundance,

these potted  purple plants survive

as well.  Renewal each spring, they

bloom all summer long. They have an odd

ritual of blooming and shedding each day.

In this quiet place, on this day, all

seemed well with my soul....

 -

Don't let yourself get so busy that

you miss those little but important

extras in life.  The beauty of a day

....the smile of a friend...

the serenity of a quiet moment alone.

For it is often life's smallest pleasures

and gentlest joys that make the

biggest and most lasting difference.

Source....Whispers Of Blessing

-

Have a wonderful weekend.....Dee Dee

An Unusual Visitor

Early morning duties in the garden,

brought me face to face with an

unusual sort of visitor.

hmmm....inspiration

-

"The Garden Moth"

What brings you

to the garden sanctuary

small delicate brown critter?

Your wings resemble velvet

winter attire, yet you

were born in summer's climate.

Perched on the edge

of a watering place

 for the birds,

were you drawn there by

the morning sunlight?

Your tiny black eyes

 stare  into the water,  

collected  in the bath

 from a night rain.

Careful lest you  become

breakfast for a noisy

 Jay that frequents this

place of refuge.

dd'2011.....

-

Blessings for the day.....Dee Dee

Think On This

The Sistine Madonna by Raphael

Notre Dame Cathedral

SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT~

When a man stood before one of Turner's

unrivalled paintings and said, "I can see nothing

in it," the great artist replied, "Don't you wish you

could?" A tourist upon his return home was asked

what he thought of Notre Dame, and the Sistine

Madonna, and some other of the world's remarkable

productions.  He said he did not see them, and went

on to say that while his wife did the Cathedrals and

his daughter did the art galleries, he did the cafes. 

There are some things that must be spiritually discerned

and appreciated, and if eyes are blind, and heart is dull

and the soul desensitized, no wonder it is difficult to

appreciate the higher  things of  God.~Swift

-

Interesting thought for today.

Blessings.....Dee Dee

An Old Friend

I thought I'd died and gone to heaven,

when I  discovered digital photography.

It came to me,  packaged in a fine

Sony MVC FD83 Digital Camera,

several years ago.

The Macro setting on the camera, 

 opened up a whole

new world for me.  I set out to

photograph every flower in our garden,

spending  hours with my camera, and

then hours on the computer looking

at and tweaking some pretty amazing images.

That same year, we had our summer

vacation in the Florida Keys.

 We spent one day in

Key West and I took photos of

everything in my path.

The photo shown here, a favorite, 

 was taken with the

solarize setting on my Sony camera.

The Duval Street sign

with a bicycle leaning against it,

was my subject, but

somehow the whole composition made

a beautiful statement.

"Duval Street Deserted!"

I remember standing  for several

minutes waiting for the

traffic and  people to clear the area.

Just moments after clicking off a few

shots, the area was alive once again.

I still have my Sony camera.

It sits along side several others of like kind.

Technology has moved on and

I've tried to keep up.  The camera

I use these days,  does some pretty

amazing things.  But I suppose

I'll always have a soft spot in my heart  for my

ole Sony.  I pick it up now and then,

....still feels good in my hands.

It's like an old friend that once taught

 me things,  like ..... ragged roses,

and children's faces can become

magical with good lighting.

Have a blessed day.....Dee Dee

He's A Little Cowboy

"Cowboy Wyatt"

It was his birthday, and we sent

him a cowboy outfit.

He loved it so much, he asked

to sleep in it.  Not a good

idea, he was encourged with

promise of wearing it again

first thing in the morning.

Still in his dinosaur pj's

he donned his western clothes

and came down the stairs

ready for play.

Cowboy Wyatt, is our

great grandson.

I spent much of the day

with my watercolors and pencils....

thinking of how much joy he

brings to us all.

Enjoying the moments.....Dee Dee

click twice to enlarge

Peaches

Elberta Freestone Peach

Succulent reddish yellow skin....sweet as

can be for just "peel and eat"

or for cooking.

My peach cobbler beginnings.

Notice in background...Jan Karon's

Mitford Cookbook and Reader

Pg. 5 Good pastry recipe.

"Mom, how do you make your peach cobbler?"

Call me old fashioned, and I will agree,

but those words were music to my ears.......

young  daughter wanting my recipe. 

Now, I do know how to make real good

peach cobbler, lest you think I'm boasting, it

has had the approval of many through the years.

Peaches are in season and at your grocer now!

"Are these South Carolina peaches?"

I asked the young man working in

the produce section.

"No, these are from Georgia,

and should taste the same."

"Are they Elberta peaches and

are they sweet?"

He had no answer for me, so I 

explained only one peach 

qualified as the best, to me,  and that was

the sweet  South Carolina Elberta Freestone peach. 

As a rule, when making this

most delicious desert, I make two....

One for the Mister and I, 

 and one to give away.

*Note: 

Heard on Glenn Beck's radio program, just  this morning,

and I could hardly believe he was talking about this subject........

"Cobbler is good for breakfast.

   Along with a little dollop

of vanilla ice cream, you have

"peaches and cream."

According to Glenn, a good healthy breakfast!

-

Enjoy your day.....Dee Dee

........Ways To Cool Off

Stand with your feet in the water.....better yet, sit down in the ocean water.....

no....lie down in the water!!

Guaranteed to cool you off.

A bench close to  the surf at high tide.....with any luck at all,

an ocean breeze just might carry  a few droplets of water your way.

Find shade offered by tall Sea Grape trees along the water's edge.

Listen to the ocean and watch  the ebb and flow of the tide.

These all work for me and I'm sure all over our country

folks are coming up with some clever ideas of their own.

Stay hydrated everyone!

.....Dee Dee

.........Art??

"These Tangled Webs We Weave"

-

It all began when I brought out

the stamps and my card making supplies.

Add  into the mix, one  digital camera with a macro setting,

my computer and a few photo programs .....Photoshop....

and Microsoft Picture It! Premium 10.

I had a little fun with the "freehand painting" setting

again using photo program on my computer. 

One thing led to another with this 

 big creative  imagination I have,

and before I knew it....I was really

liking what I was seeing.

A little different for me.....

I'm calling  it 

 "Contemporary Stamp Art"

Have a blessed weekend....Dee Dee

click to enlarge...very cool...

Summer Garden Pink

Pink Hibiscus

Pink Geranium

Pink Desert Rose

Fuchsia Pink Crape Myrtle

My favorite pink shade ....this Crape Myrtle

click all photos to enlarge.....so pretty

-

Just a quiet look around the garden.

Blessings and encourging

thoughts for you and yours today....Dee Dee

-

Prayer.....

Lord, surround our nation

like the mountains surrounding

Jerusalem. Encircle us

with your power and peace.

Deliver us from evil now

and forever. Amen

Lanai-Porch-Veranda....Relaxing Place To Read

"Summertime and the living is lazy....

.....too hot for fishin' and the beach sand is hot......"

Did someone mention summer reading?

Still an old fashioned book reading kind of girl.

When it's too hot for outdoor summer fun, I

like to curl up with a good ole classic.

Enjoying the moments.....Dee Dee

......Hmmm...What Will It Be?

The Mister is hard at work

creating. Back and forth to the

store, trips out to the island,

compiling  quite a

collection of things.

There are fabrics, driftwood,

bamboo, heavy cotton thread,

 hot glue gun....

and a few more mysterious items.

I'm thinking it has something to do with

the ocean, and..... something to do

with our daughter's new Etsy shop.

Becoming  a sweet family affair,

she's called on  everyone 

to use their talents.

I'll feature the "mystery item"

in a post soon, doing a  

little bragging on the very

talented "man-of-the-house."

Enjoying these  fun and special moments.....Dee Dee

Lazy Daze Of Summer.....

Lifeguard on duty.......

Umbrellas seen through the sea-oats....

White sandy beaches......

-

All along the island beaches we saw tell-tell signs of

fun-in-the-sun Florida style.  Gorgeous turquoise

water, white beach sand , a sea of umbrellas,

bright warm sunshine and folks enjoying all of the above.

We've been complaining about the heat, a lot,  I suppose,

but I'm thinking the good far out weighs the bad,

in these fine lazy daze of summer.

Hope to get out there again tomorrow, pick up

a few pieces of driftwood, and shells.

Have a few projects in mind.....

Enjoy the day and look for the blessings......Dee Dee

Lifespan Of The Hibiscus Flower

Budding....the beginning

Very quickly the bud opens......

In no time,  it has expanded  fully into flower.....

Late afternoon the flower begins to wither.....

Near nightfall......it has shriveled and fallen to the ground......

This beautiful  plant continually blooms....replenishing

itself with new buds and flowers all summer long.

-

Enjoy your day......Dee Dee

click on photos to enlarge 

"To Us And Good Times!"

Somehow, things we become accustomed to,

are a bit more special when sharing with

sweet family visiting  from out-of-state.

Frenchy's Rockaway Grill, is a favorite

place for us, informal dining,  and a great

just hang out and visit kind of place.....

Requesting outdoor seating, we

made our way through the crowded

 beach restaurant, packed

with folks loudly celebrating 

 "the weekend is finally here!!!" 

Their enthusiasm was contagious, and besides,

we had something to celebrate as well.

Seated at our table outside, on the beach,

we were thankful for the

 umbrella shielding us from the

 hot Florida sun.

In a short time, we wondered at our 

 reasoning for

our outdoor seating request.

"May I get your drink order now?" requested our waiter.

"4 Large waters with lime, please!"

Noticeably, the heat index was rocking on intolerable.

Was it worth our discomfort, to have 

tropical  ambiance created by the

swaying palm fronds, white sandy beaches overlooking

the Gulf of Mexico and the occasional

squawk of the sea gulls? 

"Grouper sounds good....do you want appetizers?"

We dismissed the thoughts of heat discomfort, 

 as we began doing what

it is families do when they haven't been together

for a while.  We talked non-stop, laughed a lot,

took photos.......and dined on some really good food.

"Waiter, more water please!"

"To us, and good times!"

-

Feeling greatly blessed this evening......Dee Dee

Sweet Family Come To Visit

.....and nothing says welcome more than

fresh flowers.  A combination of lovely

Carnations and Gerberi Daisies  working  well

with a mostly white living room.

Odd, the Carnations....it's as though they

have been antiqued in some way.

Have a blessed Friday.....Dee Dee

Enjoying Summertime.....

Portion of our garden,  after one week of rain.

From a small packet of seeds came

Four O'Clocks!

We now have five different colors......one tiny white

bloom on the very top of the bottom photo.

 The photos were taken at 8:00 pm ....

still daylight, and right before 

twilight time.  The sky had leftover color

from another  beautiful Florida sunset.....bits

of fading pink covered a barely visible

full summer moon.

After night fall,

the Mister and I  walked out into the garden, turned

the pool lights on, and took another

look at that magnificent,

and  incredibly bright  full moon.

Enjoying summertime, in all it's glory.....Dee Dee

click on photos to enlarge

From Ancestral Roots......

Long before the pool was placed in our garden,

Crotons grew in abundance in various locations.

They were eventually taken out completely, and

new landscaping plants placed in their stead.

Large white Bird of Paradise grow along side

Robelinni palms, Nandinas and Pink Hibiscus.

 Not so long ago, I discovered these  

"survivors" 

 hidden between the fence and

large tropical plants. It seems that just enough sun is managing

 to seep through, providing all that is necessary for

them to survive and thrive.

Crotons

 have managed

to come back, from deep ancestral roots.

Have a blessed day....Dee Dee

click twice on photos to enlarge

Bromeliad

I've added a small potted Bromeliad

to our cottage living room.

 I find it amazing  how something

soft in color  and quite  lovely,will

completely transform a room.

Two of the  images shown here,  have

been tweaked a bit with a

photo program.

The Bromeliad seems to be

glowing, thanks to the afternoon sun.

Enjoying the moments.....

Blessings, Dee Dee